Product Description

Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.

Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude's sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya's despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.

Publisher's Description

Lovers of Amish fiction will quickly sign on as fans of award-winning author Murray Pura as they keep turning the pages of this exciting new historical romance set in 1917 during America's participation in World War I.

Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.

The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.

Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude's sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya's despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.

Lyyndaya's joy at receiving Jude back from the dead is quickly diminished when the Amish leadership insist the shunning remain in force. How then can they marry without the blessing of their families? Will happiness elude them forever?

Welcome a powerful new voice to the world of Amish fiction!

Publisher's Weekly

Pura (Zo) has penned a meaty story dealing with complex issues as the impact of WWI and the Spanish influenza epidemic affect a Lapp Amish community in Lancaster, Pa., during 19171919. At a time when the Amish are still considering their position on innovations like the automobile, photography, and electricity in homes, Amish convert Jude Whetstone has been allowed to learn to fly. While his childhood friend Lyyndaya Kurtz dreams of marrying the aviator, his forced induction into the United States Army Air Service and deployment to Europe triggers a shunning that threatens the young couples future. Pura, who has been a pastor and author in Canada for more than 25 years, masterfully balances depictions of simple Amish living with the harm that can be caused when religious ideology overrides compassion and understanding. While he occasionally inserts improbable events to advance his plot, Puras nearness to historical and Amish accuracies makes for a plausible and intriguing tale. Puras previous works have been shortlisted for several literary awards; this entry into historical fiction is noteworthy as well. (Feb.) Copyright 2011 Reed Business Information.

The Wings of Morning is the first book I have read by Murray Pura. How exciting it was for me to read about the Amish from a different perspective.

The main characters Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz will capture your heart. Both will have their faith challenged. Will Jude be able to stay true to his faith and still be involved in war? Will Lyyndaya be able to walk away from her Amish roots if necessary?

This story really played with my emotions. There were times when I wanted to put this book down because of some cruel treatment but yet I couldn't because I had to read what the outcome would be.

This story is filled with faith, love, and finally forgiveness. I dare you to read this book without shedding tears!

The Whetstone and Kurtz families both joined the Amish about 10 years ago and during that time Jude Whetstone and and Lyyndaya Kurtz started falling in love. Jude also fell in love with aeroplanes and since they were new the church had not decided whether to ban the use of them so they allowed Jude to take flying lessons. He even gave every Amish member a ride that wanted one but when he took Lyyndaya up she asked him to do barrell rolls, dives and fly as fast as he could, she fell in love with flying too.

Lyyndaya's father forbid her to see Jude because he didn't approve of the flying and since they were new to the Amish he didn't want any problems if it was decided flying was not allowed. The young couple followed her father's rule and Jude casually saw Lyyndaya's best friend, but still truly loved his Lyyndy Lyyndy Lou from afar, and she loved him, but the words were never spoken to each other.

The Amish were exempt from serving in the Military but since some officers had seen how good Jude could fly they wanted him desperately. One day the army showed up and took several of the young men, including Jude, and told them they were being drafted because they had not been Amish long enough so the exemption didn't include them.

These young men were treated worse than the German prisoners of war, the longer they refused to enlist in the service the worse the treatment was. Jude couldn't take it any longer so he enlisted and the other boys were sent home barely alive. Lyyndaya was forbidden to write to him or to receive any letters from him. Any letters he sent had to be held at the post office and any sent to him were held there also. When he returned home they would each be given their rightful mail only if Jude would recant his enlistment.

While Jude was serving his time Lyyndaya turned to helping people with the Spanish Flu in Philadelphia on the weekends. When the flu hits her community she helps to nurse them including her own family. Once they were better she returned to Philadelphia to help, soon there were servicemen coming home and needed nursing and to her surprise Jude was one of them. She had thought he had died when his plane was shot down over France.

Jude returned home accompanied by Lyyndaya. He was given two weeks to recant his enlistment or he would be placed under the ban. During that time things went back to the way they were before the war, all the while waiting for the dreadful day Jude would have to tell the church if he recanted his enlistment or not.

What will Jude do? Will he and Lyyndaya spend the rest of their lives together? Will the community ever forgive him?

This is the first book I've read by Murray and I will tell you that I really enjoyed this book, even though I did need a lot of tissues to get through it. I feel that anyone who can get this book in their hands will find it hard to put down, but be sure and have a lot of tissues handy. If you don't shed some tears I just don't know what to say. Wonderful job Murray!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the NetGalley book review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

If you live in the Amish world you must learn to give up certain conveniences of the world, electricity, cars and modern technology. However in the small Amish town of Paradise, the subject of flight is still up for debate. So while it is not yet banned, Jude Whetstone continues to pilot his Curtis JN-4, the Jenny as he affectionately refers to it to the amazement of the residents below. But his heart belongs to more than the sky, it belongs to Lyyndaya Kurtz.

"If God had meant for us to fly, Master Whetstone, wouldn't he have given us wings?" asked the ever curious Bishop Zook.

"Bishop Zook," he responded, "if God had meant us to ride a buggy he would have given us wheels and four legs."

"Ah ha!" shouted the bishop, slapping his huge hand against his leg and making most of the people jump, including Lyyndaya. "You have it, Master Whetstone, you have it." He clapped his hands lightly in appreciation and a smattering of relieved laughter came from the small crowd. "So now take me up."

It's the year 1917 and while the war in Europe is brewing, the Amish are exempt from the draft because of their religious beliefs and their unwillingness to take the life of any man. However when a British pilot sees the remarkable ability that Jude exhibits being self taught, he feels he could be just the edge his squadron could use to prevent so many deaths on the front lines.

Soon the army shows up and proceeds to take the young men from the Amish community believing that they pose a threat to the war, speaking German and refusing to fight in the war. After countless months in prison and on the verge of watching some of his friends facing death, Jude learns there is a way to save them. If he is willing to enlist, his friends will be released and sent back home. It may be the greatest sacrifice of his life, for if Jude does this, he will lose the life he knew back in Paradise. He will be shunned and the love of his life, Lyyndaya will never be allowed to write or wait for him. It is the greatest punishment of the Amish community, but for the sake of his friends it may be worth the cost!

In the novel, The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura, the men in the Amish community must face extreme persecution for a crime they didn't commit. However in the eyes of the government, they treat them like spies and they undergo the worst treatment imaginable for people who don't understand their way of life. Once again Murray Pura blends the perfect genres of historical fiction along with Amish romance to create another unforgettable story. I would have never considered what the implications would have been for the Amish young men when faced with this difficult decision and applaud Murray Pura's portrayal of this storyline in his Snapshots of History series. This is the second book in the series and one I had been waiting to review after reading, The Face of Heaven, dealing with the Civil War. I was not disappointed and literally took my time reading this one. The richness of the details he manages to capture are unforgettable as well as the tenderness of love and romance appeal to the hopeful romantic in all of us.

I received The Wings of Morning by Murray Pura compliments of the author himself as a gift during a Christmas giveaway!!! While I was not required to review this book, I just knew I had to share it with fans of Historical Fiction and Amish Romance. I absolutely love this one because I am a huge fan of World War 1 and 2 fictional books and this took my favorite genre's to an entirely new level of delight!!! I would rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and can't wait for his next book in this wonderful series! Trust me, this author will be on your must read list!!!

Murray Pura has found a new fan across the ocean! After reading The Face of Heaven I can't get enough of his writing. So, The Wings of Morning was the next of Pura's books that I've read - and certainly not my last! From the first page I was hooked and I knew this was going to be another awesome book.

It's 1917 and the Amish have not yet made a decision on aeroplanes. Jude Whetstone is a convert of the Lapp Amish community. He loves the aeroplanes and took lessons to fly. Some people of the community don't agree with the flying - including Lyyndaya Kurtz' parents. Jude and Lyyndaya grew up together and slowly fell in love. Now Lyyndaya's parents don't want her to see Jude anymore. This is breaking Lyyndaya's heart, but as a good Amish daughter she will obey her parents.

In Europe WWI is afoot. The Amish don't fight in war, but when the US Army finds out that Jude is a good pilot and has not enlisted to fight in Europe, he soon finds himself imprisoned - together with some other young men from his community. The Amish men are treated badly. Jude is praying for a way out of prison and understands that the only way to end the imprisonment is to enlist. When he does, the other men are freed and returned to their community. Jude's decision is not understood among his people and he is shunned.

Jude knows he is in the will of God and asks God to guide him through the air fights. He learns to fight the Germans without killing anyone.

Lyyndaya is not allowed to send letters to Jude, but she decides to write him letters and keep them somewhere safe until he has returned from Europe and his shunning is ended. Jude is also sending letters to Lyyndaya weekly, but she can't read them.

Through reports the Amish are informed about what Jude is doing in France, but the question why Jude ever enlisted remains unanswered. Then a report comes in that Jude's plane was crashed and he is missing in action and presumed dead.

Meanwhile in Pennsylvania there's an outbreak of the Spanish flu and Lyyndaya volunteers to care for the sick. Then one day at the hospital a stranger is whispering her name...

I can't find the right words to described how much I enjoyed this book. Mr. Pura is an awesome and fascinating writer. Normally I don't read many Amish books, but the way Pura combines Amish, history and WWI is phenominal. I can't wait to read Pura's next book!

Murray Pura has written a fascinating story about the Amish faith and their ethical and spiritual dilemma concerning war. Based in the early 1900's during World War I, a young Amish man, Jude, is forced to go against his church's beliefs as well as his own to fly for the American troops in Europe to defeat the Germans. Meanwhile, he leaves behind a father, community, and a young lady whom he loves, Lyyndy, in order to fulfill his obligation in the war. The story goes back and forth between Jude and Lyyndy, to tell their stories and how they intertwine; each expressing their love for God, the church, the Amish community and each other. Pura does a wonderful job of going into the spiritual and emotional thoughts of both Jude and Lyyndy. Their sweet love story is depicted in a reverent and respectful way without being too "preachy" but true to their strong Christian values. This historical fictional story is obviously well researched and provides a captivating story of the Amish faith, World War I, and the early years of aviation. I would encourage anyone to read this wonderful novel and fall in love with the Jude and Lyyndy story as I did!